Cover of Basil

Basil

by Wilkie Collins

First published
1852
Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"Basil" by Wilkie Collins is a novel written in 1852. A young man from an aristocratic family falls in love at first sight with a shopkeeper's daughter and enters into a secret marriage. Bound by her father's strange condition to live apart for a year, Basil's patience is tested when the mysterious Mannion appears. Betrayal, violence, and a thirst for revenge follow as dark family secrets emerge, connecting these strangers in ways no one could have imagined. The story builds to a dramatic confrontation on the treacherous cliffs of Cornwall.

  • Inheritance and succession
  • Young men
  • Fathers and sons
  • England
  • Revenge

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #4605. Basil on Wikipedia.

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